Weekend Reporting Assignment 2

By Winrich Sy for Reporting and Writing 1

As I wandered on the fifth floor of the Hunter North Building, I came across a young woman named Anna, who was leaning against the wall. After informing her of my weekly assignment, she agreed to be interviewed about her life and childhood. At first impression, Anna is about 5’4 with a pale complexion and dark brown hair in a ponytail/hat combo. It was a cold day in the Upper East Side so she was bundled up in her slightly long pink coat wearing sweatpants and adidas sneakers. My first introduction question to her was: “Where were you born/raised?” Anna, who spoke with a soft and quiet voice answered: “I was born in Moscow, Russia…then my family and I moved to Brooklyn when I was four.” I then followed up by asking: “how does life there compare to your life in NYC?” Anna answered: “Russia is developed, but like less so than New York…There's a lot more opportunities and places to go and things to do.” She also explained how her life in Russia was very simple and quaint as a child. I then wanted to ask about her family life and who she lives with at home. Anna, who seemed nervous yet polite said she lives with her mother and her twin brother which is an interesting detail about her. “He was born six minutes before me.” “RIP my mom though, I don't know how she did that” Anna said jokingly. Then I asked her: “Is your mom supportive of your aspirations?” Anna paused slightly and gave me an “Umm…I guess”...“As long as I’m not getting into trouble, and she kinda trusts in me in my aspirations I guess, so I would say yeah she does, I would say yes.” Finally, I wrapped up the interview with two very broad questions: “What brings you Joy?” and “What worries you?” Anna said that spending time with her loved ones brings her joy. “Hanging out with my family and my friends. Basic, but like I don’t know” she said kind of embarrassed. As for her worries she said: “Umm a lot of things” followed by a chuckle, then “I guess my future, being a college student I’m sure you can relate. Like thinking about how I’m going to get a job after I graduate. I mean I’m only a freshman but I’m still worried about that now… So yeah, I guess that.” So after about seven minutes speaking with her, I could infer that Anna is just a young college student who seems to be figuring herself out into adulthood. Due to her voice and her interests, she gave me a vibe of a shy yet studious type of person/student. While she came off as a bit shy during the interview, Anna was very kind and attentive to what I was asking her. I was very grateful to have come across someone who made this interview simple and straightforward. While she was just waiting for her class to start, she let someone she didn’t know interview her with somewhat personal questions. She had also agreed to put in her Hunter email, so I was super appreciative that she gave me time out of her day for the sake of journalism.

Interview with Anna Dor, Hunter College Freshman

anna.dor83@myhunter.cuny.edu